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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I have most of Kristina McMorris’s works on my TBR, though so far, I’ve only had a chance to read two of her books — this book, her newest novel The Ways We Hide, and her previous one, Sold on a Monday, which came out back in 2018. While I have every intention of getting through McMorris’s backlist at some point, I also don’t want to miss any of her new works — which is why, as soon as I saw that she had a new book coming out this month, I requested an ARC before even reading the summary of what the book would be about. After I got approved, I went back and read the blurb, which made me even more intrigued and excited to read the novel. While I’ve read plenty of books set during World War II and covering various themes, one that I haven’t come across is exactly what McMorris’s new book explores: the role of magicians / illusionists in the war effort. Up until this point, I’ve always thought about magicians as entertainers, never realizing that there were very practical ways they could put their skills to use during the war, such as helping to design escape plans and contraptions or other gadgets that could hide things such as maps. This was a fascinating concept to me and an angle not often explored in WWII-themed fiction. Not only that though, in terms of this particular story, the illusionist is a woman (the main character Fenna Vos), which is even more rare given the time period and the prevalent society conventions at the time.
From a historical perspective, McMorris did a great job relaying the various elements related to real-life events and people, as well as establishing an atmospheric sense of time and place. I remember reading somewhere that McMorris mentioned this is one of her more ambitious novels to date, which I can totally see, as this one actually covered quite a bit of ground, with a time period spanning 1928 to 1945, a setting across three different countries (United States, England, the Netherlands), and a multitude of historical events / people covered (which I didn’t actually realize until I read her Author’s Note at the end of the book). The meticulous research she did in preparation was obvious in the way she was able to utilize so much descriptive detail throughout the story, whether in reference to historical events and people, or even the gadgets created for military use. Also, with Fenna’s background as the daughter of Dutch immigrants and so parts of the story revolves around the Dutch community she grows up in, I ended up learning a lot in that area as well.
In addition to the story being well-written, the characters were also well-drawn, with Fenna written in a way where, as readers, we can’t help rooting for her through all the hardships. With that said however, I honestly found it difficult to connect with her on an emotional level — which is strange given the entire story was told from Fenna’s first person point of view, so we are privy to all her inner thoughts and feelings. I think part of the reason for this is because, for me, some parts of the story ended up focusing a bit too much on Fenna’s romantic relationship with Arie, to the point that it drove a large part of Fenna’s actions and decisions during a certain portion of the story. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but given the premise of the story and the highly dangerous situations she often found herself in, some of her actions came across as irrational and illogical. While the romance piece wasn’t overwhelming compared to the rest of the story, it was a little distracting for me because I was expecting more focus on the historical piece and how Fenna uses her skills as an illusionist and escape artist in her work with MI9. This was also the main reason I ended up rating this 4 stars instead of 5, as I felt like the direction of the story strayed a bit near the midway mark and also, the emotional connection was lacking.
Overall, I definitely liked this one quite a bit and recommend it as a worthwhile read, especially for the different and refreshing angle it presents in terms of WWII historical fiction.
Received e-ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley and print ARC via BookBrowse First Impressions program.
From a historical perspective, McMorris did a great job relaying the various elements related to real-life events and people, as well as establishing an atmospheric sense of time and place. I remember reading somewhere that McMorris mentioned this is one of her more ambitious novels to date, which I can totally see, as this one actually covered quite a bit of ground, with a time period spanning 1928 to 1945, a setting across three different countries (United States, England, the Netherlands), and a multitude of historical events / people covered (which I didn’t actually realize until I read her Author’s Note at the end of the book). The meticulous research she did in preparation was obvious in the way she was able to utilize so much descriptive detail throughout the story, whether in reference to historical events and people, or even the gadgets created for military use. Also, with Fenna’s background as the daughter of Dutch immigrants and so parts of the story revolves around the Dutch community she grows up in, I ended up learning a lot in that area as well.
In addition to the story being well-written, the characters were also well-drawn, with Fenna written in a way where, as readers, we can’t help rooting for her through all the hardships. With that said however, I honestly found it difficult to connect with her on an emotional level — which is strange given the entire story was told from Fenna’s first person point of view, so we are privy to all her inner thoughts and feelings. I think part of the reason for this is because, for me, some parts of the story ended up focusing a bit too much on Fenna’s romantic relationship with Arie, to the point that it drove a large part of Fenna’s actions and decisions during a certain portion of the story. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but given the premise of the story and the highly dangerous situations she often found herself in, some of her actions came across as irrational and illogical. While the romance piece wasn’t overwhelming compared to the rest of the story, it was a little distracting for me because I was expecting more focus on the historical piece and how Fenna uses her skills as an illusionist and escape artist in her work with MI9. This was also the main reason I ended up rating this 4 stars instead of 5, as I felt like the direction of the story strayed a bit near the midway mark and also, the emotional connection was lacking.
Overall, I definitely liked this one quite a bit and recommend it as a worthwhile read, especially for the different and refreshing angle it presents in terms of WWII historical fiction.
Received e-ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley and print ARC via BookBrowse First Impressions program.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris ~ You would think by now I would be tired of World War Two stories. I'm not. I'm fascinated by how many different takes there are on the time period. This one takes place in England and The Netherlands but it focuses on spycraft, which I loved. Combine that with a heroine that struggles with PTSD and loves to do magic tricks and you have a really great novel. It got a little long in places, and probably could have been told with about one hundred fewer pages, but it was well worth the read. I can't help comparing it to Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon. Recommended if you don't mind long books and enjoy WW2. Thanks Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of this book
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“It was a mistake to go backward. Moving forward is the way I’ve survived, eluding traps of all kinds, charging toward the unknown.”
Ways We Hide is one of those historical fiction novels that will leave you thinking about it days after finishing. There’s a lot packed into this book. It’s honestly three or four books in one. It’s a sweeping WWII saga with poignant scenes that will bring you to tears with fascinating historical details woven throughout. It’s the story of a strong woman shaped by surviving multiple tragedies who tries to reconcile her past with the future. It’s tragic yet hopeful and definitely worth reading.
In the first part of the book, we meet Fenna, who struggles during her magic act when her partner goes off script, After one particularly tense performance and exchange afterward, she’s approached by a British Military Officer from the War Office associated with MI9. He offers her a unique opportunity with the military to design gadgets to help soldiers fighting against the Nazis. (Think “Q” from James Bond.) She decides to accept this new assignment and embarks for London.
The next part of the story, we’re whisked away to 1928 and Fenna’s childhood in Michigan. She endures several tragic events as a miner’s daughter including the loss of her mother early in life and surviving a stampede. The one bright spot in her childhood is meeting her friend Arie. He shares with her a Houdini magic book, which she spends hours reading and learning tricks from. As her life progresses from one tragedy to another, she winds up living with Arie and his family. But, when her past comes back to haunt her, she reluctantly runs away to perform on the stage.
We’re brought back to present day 1943 where Fenna is in London trying to find ways to aid in the war effort. Once again, she must face her past when a secret mission leads her deep into Nazi occupied territory. She’s forced to confront past feelings and relationships and this is where the suspense really increases. It’s a heartrending story that will have you in tears by the end.
This book is phenomenal as far as storytelling. The characters are flawed yet lovable. The reason this is a four star read and not a five star for me is pacing. There were a few times in the middle I felt the story dragged a bit. Because there were so many stories in one, it felt almost like I was reading two different books. The author does manage to weave all the stories together beautifully, but there were some aspects that lost my interest until the story picked back up again. The last quarter of the book was unputdownable.
There are two brief love scenes with not a lot of detail. These occur at the end of Chapters 24 and 70 and are easily skippable if you prefer not to read those. There’s also some infrequent mild language. All in all though an epic read with complicated characters, interesting historical detail, and suspenseful situations that will leave you anxiously turning the pages. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and freely given.
Ways We Hide is one of those historical fiction novels that will leave you thinking about it days after finishing. There’s a lot packed into this book. It’s honestly three or four books in one. It’s a sweeping WWII saga with poignant scenes that will bring you to tears with fascinating historical details woven throughout. It’s the story of a strong woman shaped by surviving multiple tragedies who tries to reconcile her past with the future. It’s tragic yet hopeful and definitely worth reading.
In the first part of the book, we meet Fenna, who struggles during her magic act when her partner goes off script, After one particularly tense performance and exchange afterward, she’s approached by a British Military Officer from the War Office associated with MI9. He offers her a unique opportunity with the military to design gadgets to help soldiers fighting against the Nazis. (Think “Q” from James Bond.) She decides to accept this new assignment and embarks for London.
The next part of the story, we’re whisked away to 1928 and Fenna’s childhood in Michigan. She endures several tragic events as a miner’s daughter including the loss of her mother early in life and surviving a stampede. The one bright spot in her childhood is meeting her friend Arie. He shares with her a Houdini magic book, which she spends hours reading and learning tricks from. As her life progresses from one tragedy to another, she winds up living with Arie and his family. But, when her past comes back to haunt her, she reluctantly runs away to perform on the stage.
We’re brought back to present day 1943 where Fenna is in London trying to find ways to aid in the war effort. Once again, she must face her past when a secret mission leads her deep into Nazi occupied territory. She’s forced to confront past feelings and relationships and this is where the suspense really increases. It’s a heartrending story that will have you in tears by the end.
This book is phenomenal as far as storytelling. The characters are flawed yet lovable. The reason this is a four star read and not a five star for me is pacing. There were a few times in the middle I felt the story dragged a bit. Because there were so many stories in one, it felt almost like I was reading two different books. The author does manage to weave all the stories together beautifully, but there were some aspects that lost my interest until the story picked back up again. The last quarter of the book was unputdownable.
There are two brief love scenes with not a lot of detail. These occur at the end of Chapters 24 and 70 and are easily skippable if you prefer not to read those. There’s also some infrequent mild language. All in all though an epic read with complicated characters, interesting historical detail, and suspenseful situations that will leave you anxiously turning the pages. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and freely given.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book had some interesting parts, but for my reading, it was too long and the parts about her childhood could have been shortened to still give us the same impact. She is a talented magician, that gets recruited to help in the war efforts/helping with escapes. There is a lot of interesting history and strong characters that grow and that I cared about
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Such an interesting & epic book! I loved it!